‘Michaela deserves justice’ says widower in Mauritius

John McAreavey (right) and Mark Harte, brother of murdered honeymooner Michaela McAreavey, during a press conference at the Labourdonnais Hotel in Port Louis, Mauritius

Published:13:27Tuesday 04 April 2017

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The husband of murdered Tyrone woman Michaela McAreavey is offering a reward of £44,000 for information.

John McAreavey who travelled to Mauritius at the weekend, made the offer at a news conference on Tuesday.

The widower returned to the holiday island to meet senior police officers and make a fresh appeal to help catch her killer.

Making the offer of 2m Mauritian rupees (£44K) for information leading to a successful prosecution, Mr McAreavey appealed for people to come forward about the death.

In a statement, he said they had felt “let down” and even “betrayed” by a process that, he said had failed them.

“Over the past six and half years our resolve to win justice for Michaela remains undiminished. We believe we have given the Mauritian authorities every chance to deliver on their very public promise that justice would be done,” he said.

“However, until this visit the reality falls far short of that and as the years have passed it appears that the unofficial policy has become one of ‘out of sight - out of mind.’ But we have no intention of just slipping out of mind or sight. Michaela deserves justice and we intend to get it. We should not have needed to make this very painful return journey.”

Continuing, he said they took some comfort from the assurances given by the Prime Minister of Mauritius that Michaela would get justice, but to achieve that they needed the help of those who may know something, but have not yet come forward for whatever reason.

Twenty-seven-year-old Michaela, who was the only daughter of Tyrone Gaelic football manager Mickey Harte, was strangled in her room in the luxury Legends Hotel. Two hotel workers were charged with murder and found not guilty at their trial in Port Louis.